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The Cleveland Botanical Garden is the perfect outdoor setting for children to run, play, climb and explore Mother Nature’s lush environment.

Davey joined the adventure at Hershey Children’s Garden to sponsor a kids’ climb event—to inspire children to branch out of their comfort zones and become arborists for the day. More than 500 children participated in the two-day climb to learn basic climbing and safety techniques.

Davey’s volunteer team included Mark Noark, manager of recruiting and training, Recruiter/Trainers, Joe Shaw and Paul Herb, and Jim Savage, Penn State University urban forestry professor. Noark says all volunteers were necessary to make this event such a success.

“Our goal is to build relationships, engage with the community and inspire future arborists,” Noark says. “It’s important to invest early in youth for the future of our industry.”

Noark says safety and professionalism is paramount when working with children in this setting.

"Working outdoors and providing hands-on experiences, such as the kids’ climb, is a huge draw for kids,” Noark says. “It’s very important to open kids’ eyes to a future in arboriculture, especially if they are not interested in the traditional four-year college experience.” Noark adds events like this help Davey create community ambassadors and earn respect for what employees do.

“Parents and families enjoyed the festive atmosphere as we endorsed the arboriculture industry,” Noark says. “The kids’ climb was a perfect opportunity to brand our name, engage community members and get everyone involved; plus, it was a lot of fun.”